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Ton Whiteside, M.Ac., M.Div. Lic.Ac., Dipl.Ac.

Acupuncture

42 Summer Street, Suite 306A, Pittsfield, MA 01201


Ton Whiteside

Obituary for Henry Burton “Ton” Whiteside
 

Henry Burton Whiteside passed away, surrounded by his three children, on Friday, December 26,

after being badly injured in an auto accident on Christmas Eve morning.

Ton was born in Burgaw, North Carolina, on July 14, 1952, to Beulah Gibbons Rochelle

Whiteside, a homemaker, and Heustis Pennington Whiteside, an artist, professor, merchant, and

WWII combat veteran.
 

He lived on Topsail Island for the first few years of life, where his deep appreciation for the

coastal Carolinas began. Once school age, he moved with his family to Burgaw, eventually

graduating from Burgaw High School in 1970. He spent his early years helping his mother’s

mother, Nanny, with chores around her church, learning to surf the waves of Topsail, and

listening to the formative music of his time. During his junior year, Ton and his best friend

traveled to Greensboro, where -- lying about their age -- they managed to see the legendary rock

musician Jimi Hendrix play live.
 

Ton attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in philosophy and

religion. After graduating from UNC, he matriculated to the Union Theological Seminary in

Richmond, V A, and later the General Theological Seminary in New York City, becoming an

ordained Episcopal priest in 1983. He went on to serve first in New Bern and then Wilmington,

North Carolina, at the Church of the Good Shepherd, where he was active in supporting social

movements for economic and racial justice. Ton was instrumental in establishing the Good

Shepherd Center. Still in operation, the Good Shepherd Center not only provides emergency

shelter and food, it also helps find permanent housing for about 150 people every year.

Feeling the pull of another mission, Ton enrolled at the Maryland University of Integrated Health

(formerly The Traditional Acupuncture School) to study acupuncture. After completing his

education there in 2001, he moved to Western Massachusetts, where he began his acupuncture

practice and served as a minister at Plainfield Congregational Church in Plainfield, MA.During
his time in Western Mass, he lived primarily in Shelburne Falls, MA. Always eager to

connect and be of service to others, he became a beloved member of the community. He loved

nothing more than good conversation over good food and drink, often at the Juice Box or Blue

Rock Restaurant. Even better if it were with his children.
 

Ton also studied and practiced Shin Buddhism. Though very serious about Buddhist philosophy

and practice-- such as sitting for long, silent meditation-- all of this was contained within his

fundamental framework of Christianity. In 2017, Ton traveled to Japan, invited by an old college

friend, and spent weeks visiting temples and embedding himself in the culture. In recent years,

he began studying the Japanese language, making close friends with his teacher, even visiting her

and her family in Japan earlier this year.
 

His friends and family will keenly miss his penetrating mind and caring heart, which were

always straining toward justice, truth, and the mercy at the heart of his faith.
 

He is survived by his beloved children, Nathan Whiteside, Helen Whiteside, Zoe Whiteside, their

families, and their mother, Susan Beam. This year, Ton was excited to welcome his first

grandchild, Helen’s son, Francis Hiatt Whiteside to the family. He is also survived by his brother,

H.P. Whiteside Jr.; his sister, Rochelle Whiteside; their families; his godson, John Michael David

Parenti; as well as his many dear friends in North Carolina, Western Massachusetts, and Japan.

Ton had deep roots in both his chosen home of Shelburne Falls and his native home of North

Carolina, specifically Burgaw, Topsail Island, and Wilmington. Because of this, his memory will

be honored in both places. A funeral service will be held on January 3, 2026, in Burgaw, North

Carolina, at Burgaw United Methodist Church; service details will be available through Harrell’s

Funeral Home website (https://www.harrellsfh.com/). A memorial will take place in Western

Mass some weeks later.